US 35: A dangerous highway?

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

The Ohio Department of Transportation is making changes to part of U.S. 35 in Greene County but some residents say those changes will not keep drivers safer and more needs to be done.

According to Lieutenant Douglas Eck with the Ohio State Patrol 11% of all injury crashes in Greene County happen on the three mile stretch between Xenia and Beavercreek.

“When you consider there are 910 miles in the county that’s pretty significant," Lt. Eck said. "Most of the crashes are the result of driver error."

US 35 crashes 2014-2015

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The Ohio Department of Transportation has proposed a super-street design that would improve traffic flow. It would look like a series of U-turns and Brian Cunningham, public relations spokesperson with ODOT District 8, said it will help ease congestion.

“It will also help to eliminate rear-end crashes because you won’t have the back-up on to the main lane where you’re waiting to make a left hand turn,” said Cunningham.

Larry Stegall of Jeffersonville wants to see the intersections removed.

“I think they need to do something to get the lights out of here. The lights are the biggest problem because they cause more accidents,” Stegall said.

The Ohio Department of Transportation said it would like to get rid of the lights but the project is just too expensive. Brian Cunningham says the super-street will increase safety at a reasonable cost.

“Safety is paramount to everything ODOT does," said Stegall. "Ultimately the goal is for the interchanges however, the temporary measure is $15-million versus $120-million. We feel it will provide congestion relief as well as safety improvements."

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Keith Devers and his wife were hit in a chain-reaction crash on US 35. Dever’s wife suffered series injuries and was treated at the hospital. Devers wants ODOT to do more to keep drivers safe.

“They always say safety first but it doesn’t always seem like safety first." Devers said.

ODOT officials said if the remainder of the funding for the super-street is secure, construction should begin as early as spring of 2019. An interchange to eliminate the lights is still a goal, but ODOT said securing that funding will be difficult.